Number One is only 6-6 in the BCS final, and the team with the Heisman winner is 2-6. Number two has won four of the last five. The distractions and scrutiny the favorite and the trophy winner face are two of the reasons.
All season long the Oregon Ducks have maintained a beady-eyed focus on the next opponent and winning the day. This is their 13th national championship game this season, and they pride themselves on bringing intensity and energy to every single practice. The music is loud, Coach Kelly is shouting and jumping around, and the tempo is fast. The Ducks get their work in, and understand that preparing the right way is essential, whether climbing Mount Everest, fighting Aurturo Gatti, or watering the bamboo. Kelly's team gets a consistent message, reinforced constantly with lessons from Steve Prefontaine and Secretariat. The kids buy in, and they have since day one of spring practice.
Auburn, however, faces multiple and mounting distractions. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn had a three million dollar flirtation with Vanderbilt over the weekend. The Washington Post reported he took the job, while this morning Chris Low of ESPN reported he turned it down. Hard to get much game planning and recruiting done when you're counting and handing back all that money. Meanwhile conference rival Florida hired a new coach, upstaging the Heisman trophy ceremony with the announcement.
While the Ducks were inside the Mosofsky Center for their first three days of bowl preparation, working on fundamentals rather than Auburn stuff, Cam Newton was in New York, appearing on NFL Today, CNN, Good Morning America and David Letterman. The questions about his recruitment and the pay-for-play scandal won't go away, and neither will the doubt in people's minds about whether he'll hold on to the trophy. Also persistent are the rumors he'll head to the NFL after the season. Teammates can't have the same loyalty and confidence in a one-and-done quarterback. Over the weekend, he's been everywhere but in the huddle.
All season long Auburn has been undefeated but not dominant. They were taken to the wire or had to scramble in seven of their wins, trailing at Alabama, at Georgia, struggling with LSU, Clemson, Kentucky and Missippi State, rallying to beat South Carolina in their first meeting. They're a talented bunch that relies heavily on their star, and leading up to the championship game, the demands and scrutiny he'll continue to face will be a huge distraction in this game. The paid, working press won't let go of the allegations, speculation and off-field pressures.
Newton and his teammates have managed to be resilient in the face of all this during the season, but it ramps up exponentially in the intense spotlight of college football's biggest game. It's an unfriendly and persistent glare. And there's always one gunslinger with a notepad, trying to make a name for himself, who'll ask the questions no one wants to answer. The repeated denials will hang in the air like a bad stench.
While Auburn faces all this, it's the Ducks that have the eye of the tiger. They can prepare in relative quiet, and they're blessed with a coach that has a fast answer to every question. Oregon's players are shielded from controversy and distraction by Chip Kelly, who doesn't allow these in the first place. In fierce storm of preparing for a big game, it's vital to remember where you are in the circle of life.
I agree completely. I also think it is important to note that many players went through the spotlight last year with the Rose Bowl and have since then admitted that it deterred from their preparations. I think that will help keep this team focused as pretty much every player on our team that plays significant minutes played an extensive role in that game last year. My question: Do you think it will help our defense at all that we faced Pryor last year?
ReplyDeleteNick--
ReplyDeleteGood comments, and a great question. Last year the Ducks were in the favorite role and THEY were the team everybody was hyping. This year they are much more focused; just getting there isn't enough.
Facing Pryor gives them somewhat of a frame of reference. It's an inevitable comparison, the tall, black, athletic, mobile quarterback. Newton's bigger, of course, and an even bigger weapon in an offense that features him on 80% of the snaps. Auburn is much more innovative on offense and uses more designed runs for their star qb. Pryor killed the Ducks scrambling out of the pocket.
I have to think Aliotti and the players will use their experience against Pryor to prepare, and in that sense it will help them. Both players use the stiff arm to devastating effectiveness; to tackle them you've got to get to their legs and wrap up.
Of the two, Newton is shiftier and far scarier. But I think this year's defense is significantly better and deeper than last, and they'll build on last year's experience to achieve a better result. In spite of what Robert Smith says, I like the Ducks defense in this game. I think Oregon's D is significantly better than Auburn's, and the statistics bear that out.
I wonder if they'll use a spy, and who it will be. Pleasant? Kaddu? Jackson, who might be the best tackler on the team?
Thanks for your comment,
Dale